The World’s Most Expensive Movie Posters
I’m not sure how much movie posters really convey the overall tone of a movie. What I can say is this. They are certainly an interesting collector’s item if you know what you are doing.
You’d be surprised but some of these things can fetch over 6 figures. Yup. Beats working 8 hours a day don’t you think?
Check out some of the world’s most expensive movie posters
Metropolis – $690,000
A private collector acquired this expensive movie poster at auction from the Austrian National Library in Vienna in 2005. Only three other copies of the poster are known to have survived to the current day—one in the Museum of Modern Art in New York, another in a private collection and a second copy in the Austrian National Library. The expensive poster was created to promote Fritz Lang’s 1927 science fiction masterpiece, “Metropolis.”
“The Bride of Frankenstein” – estimated at $700,000
Heritage Auctions expects to sell this teaser one-sheet, the only surviving poster of its kind, at their Beverly Hills Signature Movie Poster Auction in November, 2010. The poster comes from the Collection of Todd Feiertag, likely the largest collection of vintage horror movie posters of all time.
The Mummy and Frankenstein
According to one website, these two posters are considered to be the most valuable movie posters in the world. Boris Karloff must have done something right in his movies to command such devout collectors of his movie posters. Or maybe he was just at the right place in the right time since he was acting during a period when many classic movies were produced.
The poster on the left is of The Mummy, first released in 1932, was sold in 1997 for $535,500 at an auction at Sotheby’s. his poster on the right of 1931’s Frankenstein, starred the same actor from The Mummy, Boris Karloff. This movie poster sold in 2004 for $189,750.
Dracula
Dracula (1931) is an horror film directed by Tod Browning and based on the stage play “Dracula” by Bram Stoker of the same name by Hamilton Deane and John L. Balderston in 1931. The movie poster set the world’s record of the most expensive movie poster at the price of $310,700 in 2009.
King Kong
King Kong (1993), released in 1933 marked the first application of cinematic techniques in movie industry. The movie depicts the relationship between a giant monkey with the main actress Fay Wray. King Kong’s movie poster was sold for $244,500 in 1999.
Flying Down to Rio
“Flying Down to Rio”, a musical film directed by Thornton Freeland, was produced by Merian C. Cooper and Lou Brock in 1933. The movie hit theater at the time to release by the excellent roles of the co-stars Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. The movie poster of “Flying Down to Rio” was sold for $239,000 in 2008.
The Black Cat
“The Black Cat” is a short horror film directed by Edgar Allan Poe and produced by Universal Pictures. The movie was first released on The Saturday Evening Post in 1843. Its movie poster reached $334,600 in an auction of the most expensive movie posters last year, and $288,800 in 2007.
I’m pretty sure “The Black Cat” was not directed by Edgar Allan Poe, mostly due to the fact that he died 30-40 yrs. before motion pictures were invented. 🙂 He did write the story though.
On a different note, wouldn’t it be awesome to run across one of these in your grandma’s attic?
It doesn’t even imply that Poe directed it…
It was typed underneath, not on the picture 😉